From left to right, George Alwin (shepherd) welcomes a crowd of attendees, as Bob and Julie Study (Joseph and Mary) and Mary O’Hara, Harry Fogle and Frank Coe (wisemen) look on, at Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Trinity Episcopal Church celebrated its live nativity’s 20th anniversary this holiday season.

Shepherdstown resident George Alwin founded the live nativity in 2004, and has organized it every year since then.

“It started in 2004, when I was lined up to be in Shepherdstown’s Christmas parade. There were Santa Clauses and people throwing candy everywhere and I looked over at our church yard and thought, ‘We should have a nativity right here!'” Alwin said, mentioning the church’s central location on German Street seemed like the perfect location for such an event. “Because it was my idea, guess whose project it became!”

The live nativity is now held ever year on the two Saturdays after Thanksgiving, with showings throughout the afternoon and evening. Church members rotate between filling the time slots, so that no one feels burdened down by a heavy time commitment.

“It’s improved a lot over the years since its initial inception,” Alwin said. “The basic elements of it are all the same as they were at the start, but we have had major improvements in our costumes, lighting and banners.”

For the first three years of the live nativity, the posters and banners used to advertise the event were all made by Alwin. That was then replaced with professionally made banners, produced by a company based out of Hagerstown, Md.

“It’s much more polished than it was at its inception!” Alwin said. “It’s been very rewarding to be a part of it.”

Alwin said he was committed, from the beginning, to turning it into a high quality production. When he first began planning for the live nativity in summer 2004, he sourced aged wood from a local sawmill, which was used to create a more believable looking stable. He also commissioned some Amish carpenters to carve five shepherd crooks for the shepherds to use. All of the costumes were sewn by a professional seamstress in Chambersburg, Pa., who was primarily employed to create intricate costumes for Renaissance festivals and living history groups, like the Society for Creative Anachronism.

“This is our small way, during the holiday season, of trying to keep ‘Christ’ in ‘Christmas.'” Alwin said. “We hope that it continues on for many years to come!”

As Alwin made his way to the church yard, ready to portray a shepherd in the live nativity on Saturday afternoon, several other church members could be found waiting to join him from inside of the church, including Mary O’Hara, who was participating in the live nativity for the first time this year.

“Christmas has been going on for 2,000 years,” O’Hara, who was wearing a wiseman’s robes, said. “We’re just doing our little bit, here in Shepherdstown!”

One person who was particularly impressed with that “little bit” was Trinity Episcopal Church’s new pastor, Rev. Gethin Wied.

“This has been a very longstanding, important tradition for the church — it’s a significant part of the year that people look forward to,” Wied said. “It’s very deeply ingrained in the DNA of this community and is one of the things that, I think, makes this community what it is. This is a significant anniversary!”